The U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA), with the support of the U.S. Department of Energy, is organizing the second Japan-United States Decommissioning and Remediation Fukushima Recovery Forum (“Fukushima Recovery Forum”) on April 9-10, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan. Building on the first Fukushima Recovery Forum held in February 2014, the 2nd Fukushima Recovery Forum will continue to develop U.S.-Japanese cooperation on Fukushima recovery efforts. The event will allow U.S. firms to hear from Japanese Ministries, utilities, and commissioning entities on the status of Fukushima recovery. It will be a forum for U.S. and Japanese firms to make contacts while sharing experiences, expertise, and lessons learned in remediation and decommissioning, including work underway at Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station, and in Tohoku, the area affected by the accident at Fukushima. The event also addresses interest in cooperation in areas related to nuclear power as Japan moves forward with its plan for restarting its nuclear reactors and decommissioning some of its commercial reactor fleet. U.S. firms will also network with Japanese firms and identify potential business partners.

ITA hopes that this cooperation between the U.S. and Japanese private sectors will lead to solutions that will enhance Fukushima recovery efforts. ITA is seeking the participation of a maximum of 25 U.S. companies or representatives of trade organizations that produce technology or provide services in the decommissioning or remediation sector, including water treatment and waste management. Staff from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Global Markets, Industry & Analysis (I&A), and U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service (CS) units will also be available in Tokyo to provide export counseling and civil nuclear trade policy guidance to participating companies.

EVENT GOALS

The Fukushima Recovery Forum is an event to bring together U.S. and Japanese private sector firms in the remediation, decommissioning, and waste management industries to develop relationships that will assist with the recovery of the Fukushima region. The Forum is intended to create better market opportunities for U.S. companies. It will do this by:

Allowing U.S. firms to meet key Japanese officials involved in the planning of decommissioning, remediation, and other work related to Fukushima Recovery.

Creating a venue where U.S. and Japanese firms can share experiences, expertise, and lessons learned in remediation and decommissioning, including on work already completed at Fukushima Dai-ichi, and in Tohoku.

Giving U.S. and Japanese firms an opportunity to discuss key technical challenges related to Fukushima clean-up and nuclear decommissioning.

Fostering collaboration between the U.S. and Japanese private sector to solve other challenges related to remediation and decommissioning.

Providing an opportunity for companies from both the United States and Japan to network, build relationships and identify partners for current projects and potential joint future work.

EVENT SCENARIO

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA), with the support of the U.S. Department of Energy, proposed the Japan-United States Decontamination and Remediation Fukushima Recovery Forum to bring U.S. and Japanese firms together to complement the existing exchanges of information and expertise by providing an opportunity for coordination between the U.S. and Japanese private sectors to find solutions from U.S. firms that would assist Japan with its recovery process. In February 2014, ITA organized the first Japan-U.S. Decommissioning and Remediation Fukushima Recovery Forum in Tokyo. The Second Fukushima Recovery Forum continues the effort to bring U.S. and Japanese firms together to develop partnerships to help with Fukushima recovery.

Participating firms will:

Receive a briefing on the status of Fukushima Dai-ichi decommissioning and decontamination work from relevant officials from the Japanese Government and industry.

Participate in panel or breakout discussions focusing on decontamination, remediation and waste management. Firms with appropriate experience or technologies will be asked to present during these discussions.

Exchange views on viable solutions to the challenges on Fukushima recovery with counterparts from the Japanese private sector;

Participate in one-on-one or group networking sessions with interested Japanese firms;

Attend a networking reception with senior leaders from Japan’s Government and industry hosted by a senior U.S. Government representative from the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo;

Take advantage of the Commercial Service in Tokyo’s business advisory services if there is sufficient interest by participating U.S. firms and mission resources can accommodate such interest.

PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS

All parties interested in participating in the Fukushima Recovery Forum must submit an application package for consideration by the U.S. Department of Commerce. All applicants will be evaluated based on their ability to meet certain conditions and best satisfy the selection criteria as outlined below. A maximum of 25 companies will be selected to participate in the Forum from the applicant pool. U.S. companies already doing business in Japan as well as U.S. companies seeking to enter to the Japanese market for the first time may apply.

Fees and Expenses:

After a company has been selected to participate in the Forum, a participation fee is required. The participation fee is $930 for large firms and $665 for small or medium-sized firms. The fee for each additional company representative is $500. As space permits, up to four additional representatives can be accommodated per company. Fees will cover the cost for interpreters, a booklet containing information about participating U.S. and Japanese firms, and reception costs.

Exclusions:

The participation fee does not include personal travel expenses such as airfare, lodging, most meals, incidentals, and local ground transportation and personal interpreters used during the networking sessions. Delegation members will be able to take advantage of U.S. Embassy rates for hotel rooms. Business visas may be required. Government fees and processing expenses to obtain visas are also not included in the Fukushima Recovery Forum costs. However, the U.S. Department of Commerce will provide instructions to each participant on the procedures required to obtain necessary business visas.

CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION

Applicants must submit a completed mission application signed by a company official, together with supplemental application materials, including adequate information on the company's products and/or services, interest in doing business in Japan, and goals for participation by February 27, 2015. If the U.S. Department of Commerce receives an incomplete application, it may reject the application, request additional information, or take the lack of information into account in its evaluation.

Each applicant must also certify that the products or services it seeks to export through its participation in the Fukushima Recovery Forum are either produced in the United States, or, if not, marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and have at least fifty-one percent U.S. content.

SELECTION CRITERIA FOR PARTICIPATION

Selection will be based on the following criteria:

Suitability of the company’s products or services to the Japanese decommissioning or remediation sector, including water management and waste management;

The company’s potential for business in Japan, including likelihood of exports resulting from participation in the Fukushima Recovery Forum;

The company’s ability to identify and engage on policy issues relevant to U.S. competitiveness in the Japanese decontamination or remediation sectors; and

Consistency of the company’s goals and objectives with the scope of the Fukushima Recovery Forum.

Additional factors, such as balance of company size, industry subsector, location, and demographics, may also be considered during the review process.

Referrals from political organizations and any documents containing references to partisan political activities (including political contributions) will be removed from an applicant’s submission and not considered during the selection process.

TIMEFRAME FOR RECRUITMENT AND PARTICIPATION

Recruitment for the Fukushima Recovery Forum will be conducted in an open and public manner, including publication in the Federal Register, posting on CS Japan’s website, notices by industry trade associations and other multiplier groups, and publicity through the ITA network. Recruitment will begin immediately and conclude no later than February 27, 2015. The U.S. Department of Commerce will review applications and make selection decisions beginning on or about March 2, 2015. Applications received after March 2, 2015 will be considered only if space and scheduling constraints permit. More details on the event, including application information and fees can be found in the forum’s Mission Statement.

To apply for the Fukushima Recovery Forum please fill out the application form here.